Ms Zitandile Mfono

Zitandile Hlombekazi Mfono holds a BSc and Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics and a Master of Public Health from the University of Kwazulu-Natal. She also has a post-graduate Diploma in Marketing Management (UNISA). She is a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Association of Dietitians of South Africa. She is a PhD candidate at Nelson Mandela University, where her research is focused on promoting indigenous vegetable intake among women with hypertension or at risk of non-communicable diseases.

She has conducted research and engagement project in indigenous vegetable intake and chronic diseases, in Kwa-Zakhele (NMBM) and undertaken several engagement activities to implement the findings in healthcare centres and schools. Ms Mfono is an emerging researcher in the Black Academics Advancement Programme funded by The National Research Foundation (NRF) and the FirstRand Foundation (FRF) for completion of her PhD studies.

Designation:

Lecturer

Email:

zitandile@mandela.ac.za

Contact Number: 

0415044827

Faculty:

Health Sciences

Department:

Human Nutrition and Dietetics

Qualifications:

Bachelor of Science in Dietetics, Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics, Master of Public Health

Professional Memberships:

HPCSA

Orcid ID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4273-4777

NRF Rating: 

N/A

Research Interests:

  • Promoting indigenous vegetable intake among women with hypertension or at risk of non-communicable diseases.

Current non-degree Research Projects:

N/A

Current Final Year Undergraduate/Honours Research Projects:

  1. Interventions for implemention of sustainable healthy diet principles in the context of South African food based dietary guidelines

Number of currently supervised Masters and PhD candidates (2023 to 2024):

  • Masters: 1

  • PhD: 0

Research Output 2023 to 2024:

  1. Indigenous Vegetable Knowledge and Intake among Hypertensive Adults at a Clinic in a Township in Gqeberha, South Africa, Zitandile Hlombekazi Mfono

Current Research Collaborations within your Department or Discipline:

  1. Data base for Indigenous foods: An African perspective with Prof Xikombiso Mbhenyane (BSc Diet (MEDUNSA)

  2. MSc Dietetics and Nutrition (Univ of Illinois, in Chicago)

  3. MBA (Regent Business School)

  4. PhD Human Nutrition (NWU) Professor, HoD Human Nutrition and DIT- NRF Chair in Food Environment, Nutrition and Health Division of Human Nutrition

  5. Department of Global Health Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University

Current Inter-Disciplinary/Multi-Disciplinary/Trans-Disciplinary Research Collaborations:

  1. Phd co-supervision by Dr MANSVELT for qualitative research methodology